Chapter 2 now revised. Hope i did well, but as always, only time will tell.

With ease, the commander opened his eyes and welcomed the dim lighting of the room.

Three nights have passed and his meeting with the admiral was to take place within the next three hours.

Letting himself breath easily and letting his slightly moist vision come to a clear, he looked around easily at every little detail that came across his quarters, even the hooded figure resting easily on his chest.

Considering how used-to she was getting to him followed by how strong her antibiotics had been, they managed to get a second glorious night together before having to reseal her in her suit. He disliked the suit as much as she did, but if she was to live, she needed it, and he needed her.

Removing the hand he held on her thigh, he brushed the patterned hood with a single stoke and felt the head under it move slightly. He noticed her do it many times before. She was fully awake and stayed on his chest, savoring what few minutes they had with each other every 'morning' and every night. He couldn't blame her since he wanted the same.

Removing the hand from its resting place, he covered the hand she kept on his chest and felt it shuffle slightly underneath. She was awake after all.

Tali hummed lightly as she pulled herself closer to him, feeling his warmth radiate through his suit. Under the sheet, their legs remained intertwined, though she periodically played with her feet and his, lightly touching them and sometimes resting on them. She enjoyed all contact with him, even if it was with a layer of suit between them.

Shepard returned the gesture, removing the hand from her hood and placing it on her thigh, gently tracing a line over it. The suits tightness easily made his trailing finger detectable by the quarian, who hummed slightly louder, though enough to let him know she enjoyed it.

Eventually sighing and placing the entire hand on her hip, he gave the hood a single, noticeable kiss before moving from it and squeezing the hand in his.

"You can move now, you know?"

"I know. I just… don't want this to end." she responded dreamily, returning the sigh and rubbing her head under his chin.

"Like I told you, we can do this whenever you want."

"Even when your working?"

"You'll be working too, you know."

"I know."

"Well, in that case, most definitely my impatient quarian." he responded, adding emphasis by gently sliding his hand from her hip and to her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

She gave a pleased hum.

"I like it when you do that."

"Well, considering how overworked you are, we should take more breaks often. Maybe even let me help coax that exhaustion from you."

"You are one of the reasons I am exhausted, bosh'tet." she responded in a weary voice.

"Considering how you yourself moved stunningly fast with me, and how 'pleased' you are with my performances, its partly your own. Not to mention how fast your hips rocked against my-"

"Less toying, more cuddling." she demanded, wrapping an arm around his chest and hooking her legs on his.

"As you wish." he replied with a chuckle.

He brought her too him and minded her aching pelvis, simultaneously taking care of her as well as admiring his work. He'd been giving her his passion for every night she was out of the suit, and soon enough none of it would go to waste. He debated when to tell her; now, later, as soon as it starts to become noticeable, whenever.

As Mordin had reported to him, the study was well underway and he would soon have viable amounts of tests run within that time. What the commander admired the most of the Salarian was his ability to ensure secrecy within the group that was studying this amino-compatibility research and ever since he started incorporating more and more people into the secret research group, the time required was reduced dramatically.

Now, as the doctor told him, it was only a matter of weeks, if not days since he started the research a few weeks before the attack on the Collector base. Sure, having children would be a little troublesome with the Reapers coming, but when it was between him and her, nothing else mattered. Reapers be damned.

With a deep inhale and a sigh, he let her stay attached to him for as long as she wanted, even if it was time to meet Daro. The admiral could wait.

…

"Docking procedures are easy to perform, commander. Its whether the ship is truly stationary or not that's the problem." the pilot told his unofficial captain.

"Just make sure its safe." he replied, standing behind his pilot with crossed arms. He took to wearing his armor and, as permitted, kept a sidearm holstered. It was all he had, but if Daro tried something, he was a good, quick shot.

The ship they neared wasn't what the commander had expected. It was larger than a transport vessel and looked much like a vessel carrier used by the military. Quarians, as far as he knew, didn't have machines of war, so it must have been bought/found and was being used as each other ship was used, for housing.

"This is Normandy command, requesting permission to dock with the Qwerta" Joker said not long after the commander finished observing the ship.

"Normandy command?" he asked the pilot, who merely shrugged.

"Normandy, our sensors have you flagged as Cerberus. Though it goes against regulations, the admiral has ordered you be given access, but your commander alone must enter. Our weapon systems will be tracking you for any suspicious activity, so I advise you do what you came here to do and nothing more."

"Understood, Qwerta. Normandy out." As soon as the pilot cut off the comm, he looked at the commander. "Yeah, these guys are definitely better than Noveria's security."

Shepard shook his head and moved to the docking bay/decontamination chamber and awaited for the ships to be docked. A slight bump came from the ship, signifying its docking and soon enough the decontamination began.

With the ceasing of the chambers hiss, the forward door opened, revealing the natural gray walls of the quarian ships corridors along with a security team of three male quarians.

Looking at each, he moved away from his ships docking chamber and to the team, who looked at him for any movements. He would have found their attention to him rather uncomfortable, but they were protecting an admiral, so it was understandable.

"Sir, if you'll follow us." the one in the middle spoke as soon as he came close enough. He gave a nod and felt himself adjust to the ships slightly different gravity. It was only slightly heavier than what he was used to, so he ignored it.

They formed a triangle, one in the front and two in the back, on him and led him through the ship and the series of corridors that would lead him to Daro's appointed meeting area. As the group of four move on, he noticed several differences between the two ships he originally set foot on. This ship actually housed an assortment of families, but by the looks of the all the males he found in the ship, it was used to house the families of military personnel as well as the men at arms.

He noticed very few children, behind the series of parents on the ship and how they looked at him. All of them looked at him with slight awe, which wasn't much of a surprise to him. They had yet to see another species and they would see plenty as soon as they left the ship and Flotilla.

Eventually, they reached a more metallic area on the ship, its walls slightly decorated in the eventual swirls and lines. He noticed more and more military personnel the farther he got into the ship. By now he had no doubt he was near the center, and it was probably where the admiral deemed their negotiations to take place.

Sure enough it was. With a stop in front of a door with three black striped, one of the guards, the one in the lead, activated his omni-tool and spoke into it.,

"Admiral, the Commander is here to see you."

"Acknowledged. See him in."

The door automatically opened and revealed something of a commons area. The marines lead him inside and let him observe the surroundings carefully. Considering its size, it should be bustling with activity and people, but he guessed the admiral had to momentarily use it for whatever it was they were going to talk about.

He found the admiral in question standing near the center with her arms crossed. The trio of guards stopped neat her and the one in the lead bowed.

"Ma'am, here is the commander."

"Thank you, Officer. You may leave."

"Ma'am?"

"I said, you may leave, Officer. I do not like repeating myself, so I suggest you listen carefully whenever you speak with me."

"Yes ma'am." the guard replied with another bow. True enough, even with her own people, she had a limit of coldness. He guessed her position demanded respect and she certainly was demanding.

Easily turning on their heels, the three guards walked to the door they took the commander through and let it seal behind them. Strangely, it became locked not long after.

His attention entirely on the admiral, Shepard gave a nod in her direction.

"Admiral, to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

"My findings, commander, are one of them." she replied. "It will certainly take a while, so I suggest you take a seat."

The direction she gestured showed to be a seat along with one just across from it. The seats weren't made for luxury, but for a simple chat between two people. Looking at the admiral, who already began making her way to one of the seats, he followed in suit and sat across from her.

"To start things off, commander, I will inform you that these two subjects are of great importance. One concerns the fleet, and the other is you, so discretion on this matter is a must."

Her professional stance refused the detection of lies or deception, so he nodded and listened intently.

"Tali's father, as I told you, has performed a variety of experiments concerning geth adaptations to weapons, as well as crafting one that will null all of their defenses as well as making them vulnerable to hacking without the risk of them self-destructing."

The admirals eyes looked at him easily and she continued as soon as she saw him nod.

"I will take it upon myself to finish his project, but to do so I will need geth of my very own, preferably intact."

"So, you need me to bring in geth. Deactivated, un-hacked geth that can just as easily reactivate and perform another incident like that of he Alerai?"

"The incident on the Alerai was a mistake, an accident, one that will not happen on board of this vessel. As for the probability of you doing it yourself, that is not what we wanted. We have located a planet, one close enough to where our Fleet is currently stationed, that houses a small fabrication plant on the planet. The geth have a small facility on the planet and we will land on the outskirts of this facility and raid it after a simple days travel to the facility on foot. I will be there personally since we will need specific geth for this to be a sucessful operation, so expect my own personal guard to acompany me. As soon as we bring the required specimens back to the transport, we will return to this ship, and from here you can return to your own and leave me to my business."

"A well devised plan, Daro. You suprise me yet again." the commander replied. She gave a nod, not wasting her breath on a simple 'yes it was'.

"If you are wondering, this commons area will serve as a research center and all of its inhabitants will be made aware of the research that will be conducted here. You may have noticed the large amount of military personnel?"

So, that's why he needed her? That also explained why there were so many marines.

"Unlike the Alerai, my ship consists of marines and not simple civilians. Though the marines have brought their mates with them, they too know how to fight. The children are taken care of in assorted rooms, which when the research begins, will be guarded by two guards each. I believe that by those parameters, commander, my ship will do more than simply prevent another Alerai."

She looked at him intently as soon as she finished. His expression was thoughtful and his eyes searched the floor as he cupped his chin with a hand. She waited for his response as he was one of the incredibly few she could call upon, but he was truly the only one that could come and go as he pleased, which lead her to call upon him personally.

Eventually, to her slight relief, he nodded.

"I can do that."

"Thank you, commander." she replied a short while later. "This will aid the quarian race greatly."

With a nod, he stood.

"Thank you, admiral. Now, if that is all?"

"Right, on to the second matter." she replied evenly. "Tali's relationship with you has become something that is quite popular amongst my people, commander."

… what? They know about it?

"Xen, how have you and the Flotilla come to know this?" he asked.

"Simple. A simple question to Shala, a little gossip from some of Tali's friends here on the ship and finally, the hacking of your private account."

"My what?" he asked in mixed emotions, though anger was taking the lead at how much she was digging for information.

"Calm yourself, commander. The information I have taken was simply that of reference to Tali and your relationship. Surprisingly, I had to access yours to get to hers due to the linear structure your messaging systems apparently have. Rest assured, I have not looked onto your own personal information." the admiral replied.

"What I do with my life as well as with Tali are my own business, admiral." he replied, taking a step forward. The admiral rose from her seat and crossed her arms.

"If it were so personal, commander, I prefer you not shout about it. Tali sent a message describing how much you've made her feelings as well as the affects you had on her. The message itself was rather beautifully designed as well as… detailed on some aspects."

"Detailed?"

"Do not worry, commander. Nothing was written involving your intimacy's with her, though Shala found herself asking Tali quite a few times. She's even looking forward to meeting with you in the near future, though I do not think it is for the reasons you may believe."

Shepard shook his head. Gossip? Just what he needed. Within a few months, he wouldn't be surprised if the entire Flotilla knew about his relationship with the engineer.

"And I guess this new gossip will be added to how I shouted down at you admirals?" he asked.

"Indeed it will, commander. Your display during that trial was rather impressive, but as I said before, hardly necessary."

"I did what I could to protect my crewmate."

"And now, mate."

"That wasn't what I meant, Daro. I did what I could for her and I would go through it again if it was her once more. You will find that once I set my mind to something, I cannot be dissuaded otherwise."

"As true as that is, commander, it is not important. What is important is getting me those few geth platforms for me."

The silence in between the two in the commons area was still as the commander tried to focus. With all this news coming to him, he tried hard to focus on the mission the admiral suggested for him. He found himself agreeing, looking back at her and nodding.

"Alright, I'll do it… but what is there in regards to a reward?"

"A reward? Commander, you are already aware of the hardships the quarians have resource-wise, so by what means would you ask for something from us? I doubt Tali gave you a reward as soon as you two went back to your ship… or was her first intimacies experienced not soon after? Considering you, im not sure if you did or didn't… but Tali really was, as I said, descriptive of things."

"Again you bring this up?" he asked , once more in mixed feelings.

"Indeed. But i doubt you are hear to learn what i have learned, so return to your ship and meet me at these coordinates." the admiral concluded, activating her omni-tool and sending the data to the commander. Though he was upset with the admirals prying into his and Tali's personal business, he accepted the information without incident.

"I will meet you there with a team of specialized quarians, commander. If you fail to arrive, we will proceed without you as it will be our only chance before the Fleet departs. We wish for you to be there though, it would make the raid incredibly easier on our part since you don't have to worry about your immune system of course."

Letting her original comment subside, the commander nodded to her new plan.

"I will be there, admiral. Just be there when i get there, or at least show up after I'm there."

"I am aware that you expect us to be there, commander. We will, its as simple as that. Now, i am sure you have someone to get back to."

He was going to comment before noticing her hand click her omni-tool. The doors at the far end opened and the team entered once more.

"Ma'am."

"Return the commander to his ship, captain." she ordered, still looking the commander in the eyes. Without incident, the team re-formed their triangle style around the commander and lead him through the chambers.

The admiral stopped looking as soon as the door shut and took a seat, relaxing as much as she could while keeping her professional style about her. Not long after, she began running through just how much intel they had on the planet the raid was to take place on. She would have skilled guards, but all reports were vague as to what was on the planet in terms of wildlife.

...

"What happened?" Tali asked as she came back from her shift. Her question was muffled slightly by her blocked sinuses.

"The admiral Xen wants me to accompany her on a mission to retrieve specialized geth on some tropical planet." he replied, removing his greaves and placing them to the side. "It all has something to do with the data your father had and the experiments he was working on."

"She what? Shepard, those experiments were irrational and caused the annihilation of the Alerai's crew, and your willing to help her repeat this?"

"Her reasoning was solid and her crew is about ninety percent military, Tali, so I'm sure that by those standards it is considered far safer than the Alerai." he replied, not wanting to cause something between them.

"So it will be more prepared?" she asked in slight relief. Her father paid for his experiments on a rather medium sized vessel. The thought that the Qwerta was more prepared helped her to calm. After how much she helped, complaining about him helping her would have been like her complaining to herself. He had his reasons.

"Yes, it will Tali. Now please, lets not talk about this further, i dont want to start something." he replied. The quarian walked over to him easily and placed a hand on his shoulder as she sat down, using it as a support.

"I was going to complain at first, but i know it would only lead to worse things. From what you've told me, Xen is far more prepared than my father was, and i have no doubt the crew is loyal to her. I just hope she can keep the geth down and safely restricted as soon as she starts whatever it is she'll be doing."

"I do to, Tali." he replied. He shrugged, "Maybe I'll even join her security detail for a few days to see if its truly safe."

She hugged him tenderly around his unarmored chest, the armor itself lying beside him.

"I prefer you stay here."

"I do to. Actually, I'll stay where you stay. Hell, if you worked in the engine room any longer than you already do, im afraid i'd have to pitch a tent beside your workstation." he replied with a smile.

"That wouldn't be as fun as i think it would. With so little sleeping space, how would you... oh, for a commander you have the mind of a private."

"I try." he replied, smiling and bringing his own arm around her easily.

They sat in silent embrace on the bed until the lights automatically dimmed, set to die down when he preferred to rest. He liked how it made the light of the fish tank reflect from her visor.

"Lets get some sleep, Tali. As much as I'd like to have some... experiences tonight, your sick, so lets just call it a night."

With a nod as to not disturb the moment, they let themselves stay sitting for a further few minutes before eventually going back onto the bed, once more entangling into each others embrace beneath a sheet. Shepard found it unnecessary for Tali, but she wanted it to be there. It helped her feel more 'out of the suit'.

Both fell asleep easily, Tali thinking of a way to experience something while in her suit and the commander wondering of the mission Daro would send him on along with her.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

He just didn't know how busy it actually would be...

Again, its un-BETA'd. Show mercy in terms of grammar misspellings and such.